ROSMAN, N.C. (WNCN) — A former Cold War spy station in Transylvania County is up for sale; the 192-acre site was recently listed for $30 million.In the 1960s, NASA built a communications hub in Rosman that allowed the agency to photograph some of the first images of Earth as seen from space. It also served as a communications link for crewed space programs like Project Gemini and Project Apollo.
In 1981, the National Security Agency saw it as the perfect location to aid in surveillance during the Cold War. The satellites, already installed by NASA, were key in gathering signals intelligence for the United States.
The Rosman Research Station was strictly off limits to the public. The remote location allowed the NSA to work in secrecy as satellites returned images related to the Soviet Union, and other areas across the globe. The site’s underground workspaces, including tunnels, still exist today.
After the Iron Curtain fell and the Cold War wound down, the NSA transferred the property to the U.S. Forest Service in 1995…